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Fitzgerald on track after surgery

Luke Fitzgerald's long-running problems with injury appear to be coming to an end with a September return in sight for the Leinsterman.

Luke Fitzgerald's long-running problems with injury appear to be coming to an end with a September return in sight for the Leinsterman.

The 26-year-old had surgery three weeks ago on a groin injury that plagued him throughout last season, with a three-month recovery schedule now in place.

“I've just got to take the time now, let everything heal up, do the rehab correctly. It is just a matter of being exact on three months,” Fitzgerald told the Irish Independent.

“It's an interesting area, the pelvis, because other players can play through the injury I have, especially props because they don't need as much speed as a back-three player.

“But for someone like me it's a huge deal because if I can't sprint, I can't play. This is not as definitive as an ACL or the knee surgeries I've had. The doctor's pretty confident of the recovery time so we'll see.

“It's a three-month injury but I'm looking at probably getting back first week in September or slightly before that.”

Naturally the Ireland international has been frustrated at spending so much time on the sidelines, but Fitzgerald knows that the injury has probably come from pushing himself too hard in matches.

“It has been an unbelievably frustrating process and I'm sure there are lots of guys who really struggled with it, it wasn't just me,” added Fitzgerald.

“I know from talking to a couple of guys in football and that, who I've met through a couple of things, that they've had trouble with it as well.

“I've keep in contact with a few people and it just seems to be a nightmare of an area, some people seem to recover and some don't and I'm obviously that case that didn't.

“It probably stemmed from me pushing that bit too hard to get back for games, so I probably only have myself to blame in certain aspects of it anyway.”